Who needed Žalgiris during the soviet period?

Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas Žalgirio mitas, kuris yra viena iŠ sovietmečiu (per)kuriamos Lietuvos istorijos dalių. Svarbi jo sema yra atkakli lietuvių kova su krikščionybę jėga primetančiais kryžiuočiais, kuri lemia, kad Žalgiris tampa kovos su žiauriais vokiečiais, o vėliau - kovos su „pūvančių Vakarų" kultūra metafora. Žalgiris - kova ne tik už Tėvynę, bet ir už dievus, sovietmečiu jau praradusius savo reikšmę. Tad gaivinamas mitas tarsi skatina oficialų tautiškumą, telkdamas tautę, svajojančią apie negrįžtamai praėjusius laikus, nukreipdamas nuo autentiškos religijos - sovietmečiu draudžiamos katalikybės. Mitas, sistemos suvokiamas kaip melas, tampa naudingas „auklėjant naująjį žmogų". Kita vertus, tautą, kuri šį mitą laiko ne-melu, grąžina į situacija „Respublika prieš Imperiją" ir verčia dar karta išgyventi Šiaurės vakarų krašto traumą - kovą tiek su Vakarais, tiek su Rytais.The article examines the myth of Žalgiris (the Battle of Grunwald), which is an eloquent and significant detail that represents the paradigm of relationship with history during the Soviet period. Since the name of Žalgiris in the Lithuanian consciousness is related to the glorious past and present of the nation, at first it appears strange that it was so common in the cultural life during the Soviet period: streets, sport teams, factories, etc. had the name of Žalgiris. The myth of Žalgiris seems to have been stimulated, and according to some historians, Soviets used it very successfully for their legitimation. The analysis reveals, however, that this mythologization does not comprise all the culture: one can hardly find literary works about Žalgiris, which might suit the scheme of these historians. The article analyses the poem Žalgiris by Sigitas Geda as an alternative version of this myth. The poem reflects the constant fights of Lithuanians and other nations about their freedom. In addition to poetical reasoning about liberty, there is a variation between the positions of the conqueror and the beaten, as well as their fault and penance. This poem as a fragment of the poetic history of Lithuania is a considerable break. Hence one can talk about the authentic relationship to history while distancing oneself from the stereotypes of the national romantic and Soviet historiography. In the poetry by Geda, Žalgiris, as a symbolic form, was used anew. Žalgiris becomes a metaphor of the nations that are annihilating others and being annihilated themselves, and in this way they are participating in the dramas of history